Kenya receives 10,700 doses of mpox vaccine

The government acquired the vaccines in collaboration with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and Gavi, the vaccine alliance, Aden Duale, cabinet secretary of the Ministry of Health, said in a statement.

"The arrival of the vaccines marks a significant milestone in the national response to interrupt the chain of transmission and limit further spread of the disease," the statement said.

Kenya would use the vaccines alongside other intervention measures, including increased surveillance at 26 border points, contact tracing, and treatment, the minister said.

Since the outbreak of the disease in Kenya in July 2024, the country has recorded 67 confirmed cases and one death, Duale said, Xinhua news agency reported.

Kenya was among nine African countries listed in November last year for allocation of mpox vaccine doses following an increase of cases on the continent.

The others were the Central African Republic, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.

According to the WHO, mpox is an infectious disease that can cause a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes, fever, headache, muscle ache, back pain and low energy. Most people fully recover, but some get very sick, Xinhua news agency reported.

Mpox spreads from person to person mainly through close contact with someone who has mpox, including members of a household. Close contact includes skin-to-skin and mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-skin contact, and it can also include being face-to-face with someone who has mpox (such as talking or breathing close to one another, which can generate infectious respiratory particles).

Mpox causes signs and symptoms which usually begin within a week but can start 1-21 days after exposure. Symptoms typically last 2-4 weeks but may last longer in someone with a weakened immune system.

For some people, the first symptom of mpox is a rash, while others may have a fever, muscle aches, or sore throat first.

The mpox rash often begins on the face and spreads over the body, extending to the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. It can also start on other parts of the body where contact is made, such as the genitals. It starts as a flat sore, which develops into a blister filled with liquid that may be itchy or painful. As the rash heals, the lesions dry up, crust over, and fall off.